Arlington County Stops Administering Johnson & Johnson Vaccine

ARLINGTON, VA — Arlington County paused vaccinations Tuesday using the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine Tuesday in response to recommendations from the Centers for Diseases Control and the Federal Drug Administration.

Individuals with appointments to receive the J&J vaccine at Lubber Run Community Center on Tuesday are encouraged to keep their appointments. County health officials said they will receive the Moderna vaccine instead.

While Arlington County will continue to administer vaccinations using the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines over the next few days, appointments may need to be rescheduled depending on when the county receives more doses.

The CDC and FDA made the recommendations to pause the J&J vaccinations due to blood clot concerns, which have occurred in a handful of individuals after they were vaccinated with the J&J vaccine. As of Monday, almost 7 million people have received the J&J vaccine and the adverse reactions appear to be extremely rare.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam said the state would also pause the use of the vaccine.

"We are recommending a pause in the use of this vaccine out of an abundance of caution," Dr. Peter Marks of the FDA and Dr. Anne Schuchat of the CDC said in a joint statement.

Dr. Danny Avula, the state vaccination coordinator, said in a statement that those in Virginia who are scheduled to receive the J&J vaccine will be contacted so that they can reschedule their appointments.

"This pause is reassuring in that it demonstrates that the systems that are in place to monitor vaccine safety are working," Avula said. "We look forward to a thorough review by federal health officials. Meantime, we will continue Virginia’s vaccine rollout at this time with the other two authorized vaccines, developed by Pfizer and Moderna."

Ayuda also recommended that those who "develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath" within there three weeks of receiving the J&J vaccine should contact their health care provider or call 911 in case of an emergency.

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